Features Where is Harry Luzaders's 32 coupe ?

i think the store is his brothers,out old frankstown rd....

 

Here's a little more to add to the story.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=860866


Dustin

 

I'd like to see more pictures of the rear suspension setup.

The car appears to have worked very good.

Is there any video of the car running at the track?

 

I was a regular at Quaker City in the late sixty's and remember seeing him drive in from Pa. do wheel stands all day and drive back home, it's was one of the biggest reasons that my 31 is in my garage today(not a 32 but close). I was in love from the first time i seen it go wheels up

 

Next time you see him maybe you could ask him to come on this thread and tell us some behind the scenes stories about him and the car. That would be great if he would do it. He has a fan club here for sure.

His 32 wasn't just quick, it was show quality. You didn't see many cars of that caliber in the steel town area back then.

Don

 

To me the greatest 32 of all time

 

Don, will do. That way when I reply on this, I wont have to type "I think Harry said" anymore...... I like to drink beer at car events and, sometimes forget things.

 

Ok. I have to jump in here. When Harry first started racing his "32",he took it to the races in the motels dump truck. He didn't drive it to Quacker City. At Dragway "42" someone looking at the car,asked Harry what he did for a living. Harry said he cuts grass at a motel. If anyone has the February 1963 Car Craft,there is a picture of his "32" at the Civic Arena car show on page 25. That's when it was still on the street.

 

bschwoeble- I've been wrong allot lately , but i do recall seeing a caravan of Pa. cars come in one day and the car that i remember, at that time didn't have any race numbers or markings on it at all.Could what i remember seeing, be a car that was still street driven. Like i said the old gray matter isn't what it used to be and I'm with Don's Hot Hods it would be nice to here from the man himself

 

maybe he parked the dump truck down the road, then drove the car in the track??

 

Didn't make it to the banquet last night. Had too much stuff to do.


Dustin

 

Is Harry computer savvy ? If so, please send him a link to this thread and maybe he will respond. He has to understand he and his car are celebrities and celebrities have to take care of their fans.

All kidding aside, we would love to chat with him and hear some of his stories. We need to preserve as much of the history of this hobby as we can because so many of our heros are leaving us. Harry and his 32 were a big part of it all and it would be great to get some inside stories from the man who was there.

Dustin, thanks for your continued efforts to talk to him for us.

Don

 

I can remember twice driving out to Quaker City on the turnpike and seeing Harry driving the '32. Not very fast probably because of the rear end gears, but driving it. I don't know if he had the slicks in the car or if another car was with them, but he put on the slicks and unplugged the headers and raced reversing the process to go back home. It's been too many years and I THINK he had the Man-A- Fre setup on it. Once the Hilborns were added, it became non-streetable. Besides Sunset in Mercer, Quaker City was the only somewhat local track that Pittsburgers had to race at until PID opened in 1964.

 

Andamo -Thank you, i was hoping i hadn't lost it yet---Jack the olderchild

 

This was taken at the World Finals in Tulsa.

 

I talked to Harry Luzader at the 50 year PID dragstrip reunion last night in Bridgeville PA. He doesn't bother with computers. He is hoping to get his Opel back into running condition, but says working at his repair business earning a living doesn't leave a lot of car time. The guy that owns the 32 was there also, Harry pointed him out to me,but I didn't talk to him. Harry said he sold the 32 to him in 1974. It was tubbed and changed and he sold most of the chrome under pinnings off it years ago. The present owner want's to restore it back to its original condition. But has too many things on his plate taking up his time. He doesn't want to, or need to sell it, doesn't need the money. So there it is until owner gets to it. Harry doesn't seem to be interested in getting the 32 back.



Ago

 

Thanks for that update. Does Harry know how much interest there is in his old car ? To him it is probably old history and it sounds like he wants to move on with the Opel.

Nice to see you mention Bridgeville. We always referred to the strip as going to "Bridgeville" not going to PID. Another car I remember distinctly from there was a red full fendered 29 Model A that was owned by the guy who moved to California and started Beverly Hills Car Cover, or something like that. It was a beautiful roadster. (Frank, maybe ???)

Don

 

The fellow who owns California Car Cover is Jim DeFrank and his whole family is into Super Stock racing. Never knew he was a Yinzer. That's Pittsburgher to the non-initiated.

 

Harry knows there is interest in his old 32, but he knows how expensive it would be to recreate. Remember he moved on to the Opel after his 32. He is very fit and doesn't look or act his age.


Ago

 

Hey Don's Hot Rods. Are you from Pittsburgh area?

 

Yep, that is where I got the "Frank" part. He was from the Pittsburgh area and had a really bitchin red 28-29 roadster hot rod when he lived there.

Yep, born and raised all over that area.


Don

 

Bill Truby has a good picture of Harry's 32 here. http://www.pittsburghinternationaldragway.com/street/thumbs/img1171.htm

And Harry's Opel here. http://www.pittsburghinternationaldragway.com/street/thumbs/img1084.htm

 

We've been fans of Harry's coupe for as long as we can remember, and we've wanted to tell his story for years. We figured TRJ #75—our summer issue—would be the perfect place to do just that. We showcase the Arbor Green five-window in 14 pages plus the newsstand cover (kolorized by our friend @Rikster). Needless to say, we're pretty excited about this one. We hope you are too!—Joey Ukrop

 

Lookn' forward to getting my issue #75. I'm sure you guys will do Harry's story justice. What an awesome piece of history that car is. Have loved it since I was a kid.

 

Killer deuce, surprised no ones cloned it yet !

 

A little background on Jim "junior" DeFrank. My grandparents lived on levelgreen road and Jim would drive by in a "36" roadster owned by a guy that had a boat/marine store on rte. 30 in Irwin. Nice car, metallic blue, white top. I think it had a "y" block ford motor? Jim worked at the Westinghouse Airbrake plant in Wilmerding. Always had a very nice car. His family owned a beer distributor (?) in Levelgreen. He went to California to make his fortune. He and his partner Andy Cohen had a paint store in Beverly Hills. They supplied the high end car dealerships with paint. They opened up California Car Cover Company and the as the saying goes "the rest is history ".

 

Harry's coupe was awesome ......... period.

 

Can't wait to see this issue, one of my all time favorite Hot Rods, thanks....

 

Got it, nice issue.

 

I am a subscriber to TRJ and will receive the subscribers cover which is this Vicky

I called yesterday and ordered the Harry Luzader cover .
I would love to see a Harry Luzader Poster . Hint, Hint, Bill